ClutchPoints

Lakers’ LeBron James raves about Svi Mykhailiuk’s 47-point night in G League

Los Angeles Lakers rookie and G League assignee Svi Mykhailiuk tied the G League season high by erupting for 47 points on Saturday night in their 119-114 victory over the North Arizona Suns. The scintillating performance caught the attention of Lakers superstar forward LeBron James:

Mykhailiuk looked like a man among boys as he coasted and roasted the Suns’ G League affiliate. He shot 16-of-23 from the field, 10-of-11 from the line, and knocked down down five 3-pointers in 34 minutes.

The Ukrainian rookie then acknowledged the praise from his veteran superstar:

Mykhailiuk is lighting up the G League in his three games with the South Bay Lakers. The second-round pick is averaging 32.3 points on 51.6 percent shooting from the field and 88.9 percent from the free-throw line. He has also made 15 3-pointers throughout that span on a 51.7 percent clip.

The Lakers selected Mykhailiuk with the 47th pick in this year’s draft and signed him to a three-year, $4.6 million contract in July. He has played sparingly over the course of his NBA career so far, appearing in just 22 of the Lakers’ 36 games this season and averaging just 10.4 minutes per game.

Nonetheless, the Lakers can use someone like Mykhailiuk. The Lakers lack shooting, and Mykhailiuk can definitely help them in that department. The former Kansas Jayhawk is a knockdown shooter and seems like a good fit next to LeBron James.

The big problem with under-the-radar rookies like Mykhailiuk is consistency on a nightly basis. Thus, it makes sense for the Lakers to let their 21-year-old rookie develop and gain more reps.